


Hollow

by captainahmedica



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Betrayal, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everything Hurts, Feels, Heartbreak, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, Lahey Brother Feels, M/M, Nightmares, Pain, Panic Attacks, Romance, Tragic Romance, You Will Die of Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-24
Updated: 2013-08-07
Packaged: 2017-12-21 05:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/896226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainahmedica/pseuds/captainahmedica
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isaac knows how he feels about Scott, but Scott is unsure of his feelings towards Isaac.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter based on a request by [givemescisaac](http://givemescisaac.tumblr.com).

At first, Scott, who was too busy trying to get over his undying feelings for Allison to be bothered, was oblivious.

Isaac sneaked glances at him constantly. At breakfast, lunch, dinner. When watching TV together. When he helped him with his homework. When he worked out. When he did his chores. When they went for runs around the block and Isaac would slow himself a bit just to admire him from behind for a few seconds.

Isaac thanked the heavens that Scott was oblivious.

Isaac cursed the heavens that Scott was oblivious.

Of course he didn't want Scott to know. He'd simply live with his unrequited feelings, constantly torturing himself, yearning for something that he thought could never be. And that was fine. But it wasn't. He desperately waited for Scott to catch him staring, for Scott to smell it on him, for Scott's ears to perk up and hear Isaac's heart skip a beat when Scott so much as _existed_.

And as much as he wanted to be forced into any one of the latter situations, he had no idea what would happen next, except for that he was ninety-nine percent sure that their friendship as it was would end. It was easier to pine for the unattainable and stay as close to McCall as he knew was safely possible, rather than risk their friendship completely.

Besides, Isaac hadn't even come out of the closet to anybody yet. He knew that no one in Beacon Hills could care less about his sexuality, but the trauma he suffered as a confused young boy has, quite literally, scarred him for life. Camden promised he wouldn't tell their father, but he was never good at keeping secrets. It wasn't until after he was deployed that Mr. Lahey decided it was necessary to try and "cure" Isaac of his "condition." The prescription of relentless physical abuse, once daily, was only good at keeping Isaac's true feelings locked away in a cage deep inside his heart. Going anywhere near that cage meant reliving the yelling and the beating all over again.

And that was the real reason he was content with bottling up his feelings and simply admiring Scott from afar, no matter how hollow it made him feel.

* * *

 

They were up late one night on the couch, one boy on each side, watching old 90s sitcoms.

"You know, it's been like... over five months since Allison and I broke up."

Isaac groaned. Outwardly, he sounded tired of hearing Scott count the minutes since he's been broken up with Allison. On the inside, he was _seriously_ tired of hearing Scott bitch and moan over Allison. "Scott..."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just, you know, things are different now," he began. "I think I might finally be over her. Like... I haven't thought about her in a long time. I don't really _miss_ her anymore, you know? It doesn't feel like... like there's a part of me missing. I feel whole, as I am."

Isaac raised an eyebrow and turned to face Scott. "Well, that's new," he was genuinely surprised.

"Yeah man, I don't know. I feel good. I don't feel like there's anything weighing me down anymore."

"I'm proud of you man," Isaac nodded. His dreams became that much closer to becoming reality. But he knew that his dreams and reality were two parallel lines never meant to intersect. Still, he smiled at the proposition.

* * *

 

With Scott's mind no longer playing reruns of Allison constantly, he was much less oblivious to the world around him, to Isaac's disadvantage. On multiple occasions now, Scott's caught him looking: when they ate, when they watched TV, when they did their homework, when he worked out, when he did the laundry. At first, it wasn't a big deal, but Isaac could see Scott's suspicion rising. He needed to be more careful.

"Isaac..." Scott was panting after they just ran more than a few miles around town and had slowed to a walk. "I have a question."

Isaac squeezed the bottle of water into his mouth over his face and hair, cooling himself down. "Hm?" he hummed as he shook the excess water off of himself.

"Um... so..." he didn't know how to begin. "I've been noticing you... um..."

Isaac felt his heart sink and he hoped Scott couldn't hear his already loud breathing begin to tremble.

 _Oh God, here it comes. What the hell am I going to say?_ "Huh?"

Scott fumbled with the words in his head before the gears clicked and he blurted, "I've been noticing you watching me... a lot."

_What the hell am I supposed to say to that? What the hell, Scott?_

"What? What are you talking about?" he could only act stupid in defense.

"Um... never mind," Scott dropped it completely.

In fact, he sounded more nervous than Isaac was. And Isaac definitely noticed.

But there was no way. There couldn't be. If there was, Isaac was certainly not ready for it, not yet. There was a silence for a moment. What came out of him next was completely instinctual.

"You... you're right."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I... well uh... yeah... I just..." Scott stammered.

"You really have a way with words, don't you?" Isaac tried to break the tension.

Scott chuckled nervously in reply.

"I don't know what you're even trying to say, but whatever you think it is, the answer is probably yes," Isaac, with sudden confidence, declared.

Scott kept walking without saying another word. Isaac never considered that maybe Scott was nervous not because he reciprocated his feelings, but because he was just afraid it was true.

All of the good feelings inside of him escaped with the slight gust of wind that blew through his curly hair.

The rest of the day and into the night, they exchanged very few words with each other. Scott baked the frozen pizza Mrs. McCall had left for the boys and served it up to Isaac on the couch, where they both ended up late into the night. It was about two in the morning before either of them spoke again.

"Isaac?"

"Yeah?" he replied while taking a bite of his pizza.

"Look, about... before. I... I know. About, well, you."

Isaac turned to find Scott, with his dark brown eyes, staring right at him. He swallowed the bite of pizza he had taken without chewing it completely and felt it tumble down to his intestines whole. He didn't know what to expect. He couldn't even move his limbs. He sat frozen in anticipation.

"And... it's cool."

_It's cool? That's it? Jesus, McCall, you're a charmer._

"Scott... I'm sorry."

"For what?"

His tone was so friendly that it threw Isaac completely off-track. This was the part where he was supposed to explain how this would ruin their friendship, blame Scott for bringing it up, pack up what few things he owned and leave. Instead, his mouth only came up with, "I don't know."

And that was how Scott confirmed that Isaac was in love with him.

* * *

 

In the few weeks since, their friendship showed its strength in that it grew, against all odds. Things weren't awkward because Scott didn't make them awkward. When he said it was _cool_ , he really meant it. Life went on, and everything was okay. Isaac was comfortable with Scott, and though he often dreamed of more, he was content that they had even made it this far. He never asked for more than what he thought he deserved.

Scott, on the other hand, was having some trouble. He had long been struggling with his sexuality. He had always loved girls ever since he'd been in kindergarten. But then Isaac shows up at his house, wet and disheveled, and he stays for a few months, and just like that, he has Scott's attention. And if the heavens hadn't already set the table up perfectly, they served Isaac on a golden tray when Scott realized Isaac liked him as more than a friend. So why, then, was he afraid to jump at the opportunity?

He asked himself this everyday without answer. Every time he thought about Isaac, he could feel his heart swell a bit at how great it would be. And yet every time he thought about Isaac, his heart sank a bit. Was it because of Allison? His heart never answered him.

* * *

 

One full moon after an altercation with the alpha pack, Scott carried Isaac, beaten and bloodied, back to his house and up to his room. He set him down on his bed and Isaac's body convulsed when he coughed up bits of blood. It dribbled down his chin and onto his neck. He struggled to keep his eyes open.

Scott grabbed a square pad and some gauze from his mother's nursing kit, tore off Isaac's bloodied shirt, and applied pressure to the gashes that ripped through his flesh. With one hand pressing down on his torso, he carefully wrapped the gauze tightly around his body to keep it in place. With some napkins, he wiped at the blood that glistened under his mouth and called his name to make sure he was still conscious as his eyelids began to twitch.

"Isaac? Isaac..." he lowered his ear to his mouth to make sure he was still breathing. "Isaac!" He was not.

Scott had no idea whether CPR would be effective on a werewolf, but he wasn't about to give up on Isaac because of uncertainties. With palm over palm, he shoved into Isaac's chest just above the wound, then brought his mouth to Isaac's and exhaled.

"Come on... Isaac..." his voice grew shaky. "1... 2... 3... 4..."

He kept going for what seemed like hours when suddenly Isaac gasped for air and sprung back to life, just as Scott hovered over his face. Isaac's hand had found Scott's arm in the process of coming back to consciousness and he grasped onto it for dear life.

"Isaac!" Scott shouted through a smile wider than Isaac had ever seen on his face before. He was still regulating his air flow and it took him a while to realize what had just happened. He remained relatively still for a moment, with Scott still hovering just a few inches above his face.

There was no explaining why the moment was so perfect. Maybe it was finally being able to feel Scott's soft pillow of hair between his fingers. Maybe it was Scott bringing him back to life. Maybe it was Scott's mouth pressed against his, passionate and warm and finally really happening.

* * *

 

Scott, it turns out, held the key to the cage inside Isaac's heart where he had kept his true self locked away, ashamed of it. The both of them had let their guards down completely and finally broke free of their fears.

Some would call it puppy love. Others, a honeymoon stage. Only Stiles saw it as something much worse, because he knew Scott.

Scott, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that he _really_ liked Isaac, always held a doubt in his heart. It was precisely what he was afraid of in the first place, and he hated that he didn't share the same bliss that Isaac did in their relationship. He didn't want this just to be an experiment with his sexuality. He wanted to badly to feel, to feel what he felt when he was with Allison. That crazy, drowning in love feeling where your lover is the only one that can bring you to the surface to catch your breath before you dive right in together again.

But something was off, and it was killing him. And of course Isaac noticed.

"Scott? There anything you wanna talk to me about?" Isaac asked one morning over breakfast.

"Huh? Like what?"

"I don't know, you seem... off, lately. What's up?" Isaac raised his eyebrows slightly in concern.

"Uh... I'm fine..." Scott tried to play it off but he knew that Isaac could see right through him.

"Scott." Isaac gave him a mulish look.

"Isaac, you know that if there's something bugging me I'll talk to you about it," Scott tried to end the interrogation.

"Sure. Whatever." Isaac was clearly irked.

"Isaac..."

He got up, dumped his dishes into the sink, and left the kitchen in silent protest.

* * *

 

"You WHAT?!" Stiles nearly blew out the phone speaker.

"I don't know, Stiles! I don't know what the hell is going on inside my own head, and it's making me _insane_. Literally!" Scott whispered so loudly he might as well have yelled, but Isaac was downstairs and he didn't want him to be hearing this conversation.

"Alright, look, just calm down."

"Stiles, you're the one that's yelling..."

"Right. Look." He paused for a while.

"Stiles?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Scott! I'm at a loss, here, okay? I mean... it's one thing to tell your roommate boyfriend that you're not feeling it, but it's another thing entirely to tell him it's because of _Allison_!"

"Thank you for stating the obvious. Really, I appreciate it," Scott rolled his eyes.

"Scott, I'm sorry. I... I don't know man. Werewolves, violence, death, I can deal with. Relationships? Not so much."

* * *

 

It was another late night in front of the TV to the tune of old sitcoms and pizza. Scott and Isaac, who had grown accustomed to sitting practically on top of each other, had only been side-by-side. Isaac had barely said a word to him since breakfast. The situation was familiar.

"Isaac," Scott spoke lowly.

"Yeah?" he replied quickly, as if he was awaiting Scott to break the silence all this time.

"I'm sorry. About this morning," he apologized while his hand searched for and found Isaac's.

"Are you gonna tell me what's up?"

"I told you it's nothing..."

"Scott, will you quit it with the bullshit? I should be the last person you flat out lie to, God dammit," Isaac was flustered. He pulled his hand away.

Scott felt Isaac's fingers slip away and he was afraid it was the last time he'd feel them intertwined with his. A lump started growing in his throat and he couldn't swallow it. He had to tell him.

Isaac, on the other hand, had no idea what was coming. This is just another part of a healthy relationship, he'd convinced himself, and no reason to _really_ worry. He wasn't ready for the atomic bombshell that was about to be dropped on his heart, which is exactly what it might as well have been given the way Scott blurted it out.

If you listened closely, you could probably hear the sound Isaac's heart shattering into thousands of minuscule, irrecoverable and irreparable pieces.

_I'm still in love with Allison._

Is that what he really said? This couldn't have been a dream because a revelation as earth-shattering as that would have had Isaac jolting awake. Instead he sat frozen, not only in position, but in how cold, empty, and used his body suddenly felt.

_Still in love with Allison._

It echoed inside of Isaac's hollowed body. Everything he had ever felt had been ripped out of him, crumpled into a heap, and tossed into the trash.

"You... what?" Isaac didn't have it in him to be angry. Or sad, or anything at all.

Before Scott could reply, Isaac calmly stood up and left. He walked, and walked, and walked until he couldn't feel his legs any longer, and then he walked some more. It was cold, but he couldn't feel it. He was numb inside and out.

Scott, having seen the light escape Isaac's brilliantly blue eyes, could feel himself holding Isaac's heart in his hands, bloody and still beating. He wanted to go after him but he didn't know what he would do, or say. So he left him alone.

Scott hasn't seen or heard from Isaac in weeks.


	2. Chapter 2

Isaac's sneakers hit the pavement in rhythm to the beat of the music filling his head through his headphones. His hair bounced lightly with every stride. He rounded a corner to find a steep hill. His face turned to pure determination as he broke into a sprint and propelled himself up the incline with ease.

As he crested the hill, he spotted another runner coming towards him.

_Please don't be him._

He slowed his pace to a careful one, ready to turnaround quickly in case it was him.

_Shit._

Isaac pivoted on one foot and ran straight into the woods that lined the road. He pulled out his headphones and could hear Scott calling his name behind him.

"Isaac? Wait up! Isaac!"

_Leave me alone, McCall._

He kept running deeper and deeper into the trees but he knew it was futile. Scott probably already caught his scent and wasn't going to let him get away. Maybe if he kept running, McCall would give up. Like when he called Isaac fifteen times in a row the other day and Isaac kept ignoring him until he quit.

"Please, Isaac!" he echoed. He was getting closer.

Isaac turned to look behind him and saw Scott, in a full-on sprint, gaining on him. With his eyes focused elsewhere, he suddenly found himself hitting the dirt hard when he realized he'd tripped on a stray branch. The chase was over.

Scott stopped right beside him and held out his hand. Isaac scrambled to his feet without so much as acknowledging him. In fact, as soon as he was standing, he brushed right past Scott back towards the road.

"Isaac, how long are you gonna ignore me for?" Scott waited for a response, or a gesture, anything, and received exactly nothing. "I know I fucked up..." Isaac was listening but still refused to acknowledge him. He marched quickly and Scott broke into a light jog to keep up while still trying to say what he wanted to say. "Isaac, can you just listen to me?" With nothing from Isaac again, Scott's frustration got the best of him. "ISAAC!" he shouted, causing the birds chirping overhead to flap away between the leaves.

Isaac stopped with a crunch on top of a few dry leaves and all that was left was the sound of their breathing and their hearts beating. Scott, suddenly in the spotlight, nearly forgot everything he was going to say.

"Isaac... look, I know 'I'm sorry' won't do anything. I just," he sighed, "I don't know. I want things back where they were before. I miss you, Isaac."

Isaac turned his head first and his body followed shortly after. His face was rigid, eyes narrowed and lips pursed. "Maybe you should have thought that out before you led me on."

"I didn't... I didn't know..."

"Didn't know what?"

"Didn't know what I was doing. I was, no, _am_ stupid. I admit that. I'm sorry..."

"Is this all some kind of game to you? 'Oh, let's have some fun with Isaac for a while!'" He mocked Scott. "Scott, I was in _love_ with you." He paused. " _Still am_... in love with you." It was the first time he used the word "love" to describe his feelings for Scott out loud.

Scott opened his mouth to speak but his vocal chords produced no sound.

"Is this news to you, Scott?" Isaac asked in a condescending tone.

"I... I um..." he stuttered. "I didn't, I mean, I did... know, sorta, but I was... afraid?"

"Afraid of what?"

"That you were. And I... well that's why I tried to call it off... before things got... serious," Scott explained.

"Call it off?! You call professing your love for Allison to me _calling it off?!_ Jesus McCall, you... you're something else," Isaac shook his head, laughing sarcastically. "How's that going for you, by the way? Allison?"

Scott remained quiet, eyes shifting back and forth between a few leaves on the ground.

"Oh Jeez... " Isaac began.

"Look, this isn't about her, okay? This is about you and I and salvaging whatever relationship we had," his voice began to tremble.

"Scott, I swear, I'm _this_ close to punching you square in the jaw right now. You think I can just waltz back into your life and we can be 'normal' again? Scott, do you understand what the concept of _love_ even is?!" Isaac grew even more frustrated.

"Yeah! I do! Because maybe I'm in love with you too!"

The entire forest fell into a deafening silence. All of the trees and all of the animals leaned in to listen. The air felt thinner, as though all of the forest's inhabitants inhaled sharply at Scott's words.

" _Excuse me?_ "

Scott stuffed his hands into his pockets and sunk his head as low as he could into his shoulders. He spoke low, "I was... afraid to tell you. So I freaked out. And I said I loved Allison. I... I don't know why. I don't. I'm just... I'm sorry..." he began to shiver.

Isaac, still furious, pulled Scott into his arms roughly and held him there. He felt him sag a bit and heard light sniffs as Scott buried his face into Isaac's shoulder.

"I hate you. So much."

"No you don't," he could hear Scott's muffled reply. He took his arms and wrapped them around Isaac's waist, holding onto him tightly. Isaac let out a heavy sigh and relaxed into Scott's embrace. As much as he wanted to claw into him and leave some permanent scarring to match the pain Scott had inexplicably inflicted on Isaac's heart a weeks earlier, he realized just how much Scott must have been hurting, too. Gently, he loosened his grip on him and pulled away until he could see his face. His eyes were wet and a sheepish smile found its away across his face when he saw Isaac with a face that didn't scream _I'm going to kill you_ anymore.

"Why were you afraid? To tell me?" Isaac's voice was rough, not realizing he'd grown a lump in his throat.

"I don't know..." Scott cleared his throat, "I wasn't sure it'd work out. I liked us the way we were and I didn't want to risk that."

Isaac thought for a moment before he spoke. "The only way to find true happiness is to risk being completely cut open."

"Where did you steal that from?"

"A book." They broke into light laughter and a wave of relief brushed over the both of them.

* * *

 

Isaac moved back into the McCall residence, to his own relief, as he couldn't stand living with Derek anymore. Thankfully, Mrs. McCall didn't ask too many questions about Isaac's sudden reappearance. She was just glad he was able to help out around the house again.

It wasn't like last time. It felt different. More complete, more whole. Scott was no longer holding back. Isaac, who had essentially had his heart ripped open, had finally found a viable heart surgeon in Scott.

In stitching him up, he filled Isaac's heart with a part of himself.

And he was no longer hollow.


	3. Chapter 3

For a long time, everything was actually perfect.

Isaac felt like he was wanted, for once. Like he actually, genuinely mattered to someone. He saw it in Scott's eyes, and the way his cheeks squeezed them when he gave toothless grins. He felt it in Scott's touch, the way his fingers trailed across his skin, sparking electricity between them. He heard it in Scott's voice in the morning when he first woke up, a perfect mixture of rugged and sweet, as he breathes a soft, warm "good morning" against Isaac's ears.

But even more so, he sensed it when they fought side-by-side in various altercations with the alpha pack. He'd look up and see Scott watching over him, making sure he was okay. Though he wasn't sure how sincere it was, he'll never let himself forget their first kiss, a result of Scott saving Isaac's life after a particularly bloody fight.

Scott felt something with Isaac that he doesn't think he's ever felt before, even with Allison. Or maybe he just forgot what it was like to love and be loved.

_Love._

It's a word that Scott doesn't like to throw around easily, but ever since their little "incident" in the woods, he wasn't afraid to admit it anymore. Isaac made him happier than he's ever been. Even on his bad days, Isaac was a beaming ray of light. Maybe it was his hair, with curls in a perfectly tangled mess, golden and begging for Scott to run his fingers through. Or maybe it was the sound of his heart beating when Scott rested his head against his chest, or when he was across the room and perked his ears up and listened in to the therapeutic rhythm.

Or maybe it was the way he felt it necessary to make Isaac smile as much as possible, like it was his job to make sure Isaac knew he actually, genuinely mattered.

* * *

 

It's not often that they spent the night together. Though Mrs. McCall probably wouldn't say much of anything if she found out her son's werewolf friend was also his love interest, the boys thought it best to keep their relationship to themselves for the time being. In fact, the only people who knew were Stiles, because he's Stiles, and the pack, because they could smell it. But no one paid any mind or brought it up, other than Stiles who Scott had confided in for advice.

They only slept together when Mrs. McCall worked the night shift.

Scott, though the shorter of the two, played big spoon. His chest was pressed up against Isaac's back, transferring his warmth into Isaac's spine. Scott's arm was draped over Isaac's waist and Isaac had a loose grip on his hand, their fingers lazily intertwined. Their breathing was opposite each other's, with Scott inhaling as Isaac exhaled and vice versa.

It was still fairly dark outside. Mrs. McCall wouldn't be home for a few more hours, by which time the boys would already be at school.

Isaac's body shuddered against Scott's and he pulled his legs up closer to his chest and clutched the blanket under his chin a little tighter. Scott adjusted a bit and re-wrapped his fingers around Isaac's hand again.

"G-get in, get in."

Sweat beads began to form on Isaac's forehead and he began to breathe through his teeth.

"I'm sor-sorry... no, please," he just barely managed to mutter from between his lips.

Scott moaned in response, still fast asleep.

"Dad, no, _no_ , please..." he inhaled sharply, "don't leave me here don't leave me here don't lea-" his breathing was rapid and he began shaking his head and his whole body trembled as he tried to make himself smaller and smaller.

Scott's eyes began to flutter open and, disoriented at first, he pulled Isaac into him closer, which probably wasn't so good of an idea. Isaac began to shove at Scott's arms and struggle to get loose, moaning so loudly he may as well have been yelling.

"Let me out! _Let me out!_ "

Scott snapped out of his daze and realized what was happening. He let go of Isaac and placed just his hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently.

"Isaac, wake up. Isaac. It's okay, Isaac, it's okay," he said a level above a whisper, "it's okay, you can wake up. Come on, Isaac."

Isaac gasped suddenly and with one final jolt, he woke up. He gasped for air and pulled at his shirt, nearly ripping it off.

"Isaac! Hey, I'm here, it's okay. You're safe," Scott moved his hand down the length of Isaac's arm, making his way back up to his shoulder when he reached the end. Isaac quickly relaxed at Scott's warm touch. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah..." he hesitated. "I'm s-sorry..."

"For what?"

"Waking you up like that. Um. Sweating in your bed."

Scott chuckled lightly. "Shut up," and he ruffled Isaac's hair. "It's been a while, hasn't it? Since you had one of those..."

"Yeah, actually..." he paused in thought for a moment, "I guess it has." He sighed and rolled his body over to look at Scott. "Sorry... again."

"Stop apologizing. C'mon, it's still dark. Go back to sleep." Scott smiled and Isaac felt all of the fear that consumed him just moments ago evaporate into thin air.

In that moment, everything was _actually perfect_.

* * *

 

"Deaton wants me to go to the clinic right after school today. He says he needs an extra hand."

"I thought you said we were gonna work on the project together tonight?" Isaac replied.

"I know, I'm sorry... I'll make it up to you, okay?" Scott beamed up at Isaac and Isaac hadn't yet trained himself to resist Scott's puppy face. He could probably convince Isaac to kill somebody with it.

"Okay. How're you getting there?"

"Uh... Allison," Scott's gaze dropped to the ground as he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. He hadn't been alone with Allison in a long time, and he wasn't sure how Isaac felt about her. "Stiles' dad needed him for something at home so I just asked Allison for a ride."

"Oh. I could've walked you..."

"I need to be there in like fifteen minutes, though. And it's on her way home. It's fine."

They stood quiet for a second with Scott's eyes searching for Isaac's response in his expression.

"It's... the same deal tomorrow. That's fine, right?" Scott gambled.

Isaac sighed out a soft, "Yeah, of course." He paused for a moment. "I'll uh, I'll see you tonight, then." Scott still couldn't read how Isaac felt. They hugged and Isaac made his way to the road towards the McCall house, while Scott ran up to Allison's car.

"Hey," he let out as he squeezed into the passenger's seat. Allison replied with the same greeting. "Thanks for the ride," Scott mentioned as he settled his backpack on his lap.

"Yeah!" she answered, almost trying too hard to sound normal and friendly and not-awkward-in-the-least. "I mean, yeah, it's fine," she looked to Scott for a while, as if waiting for a response, and maybe she looked for too long because Scott couldn't help but break into a smile. She, in turn, couldn't fight back a smirk in reply.

"Um... do you know the way?"

Allison, as if snapped out of hypnosis, focused back to the front of the car and nodded, "yeah, I got it," and pulled out of the parking lot onto the road. Scott glanced in the passenger-side mirror and spotted a tiny Isaac, walking slowly with hands in pockets in the opposite direction.

They rode in silence for less than a minute before Scott spoke up, "Any music or anything?"

"Yeah, should be a CD in the player already. Here, I got it," and she reached over and turned on the stereo system. The CD spun up and the music began playing out of the speakers, much to their horror. The first song was _You and I_ by Lady Gaga.

"Is this..." Scott's finger went for the skip button and cut out the song for track two. _Anchor_ by Maeve Kelly[*] began playing. "...It is." Scott looks up at Allison who's biting her lip and trying not to look back at him. It was the mix CD he made for her when they were still dating. She realized he could probably hear her heart rate increasing, and that only made it accelerate faster.

"I... uh, just never use the stereo. I always plug in my iPod," Allison nervously defended herself.

"And where's that?"

"At home," she brought her hand up to her neck. Scott looked amused and sat back in his seat and didn't let the incident phase him. The song's soft rhythm filled the car and they were quiet for a moment until Allison's hand shot for the stereo and ejected the CD just as Maeve sang about " _those bright brown eyes_." Scott remained quiet. "Um. There's, uh, other CDs... if you wanna grab them. Here, they're in here," Allison leaned back so her arm could open the center console in the car. "I'm sure there's something... good..." she fingered through the various CD cases, distracting herself from driving. Scott leaned in to look for something, when he stopped and looked up at her.

"You know, it's fine... the clinic is like ten minutes away," he explained. She had her eyes still on the CDs, glancing back at the road every so often.

"Here, here, I got it," she pulled a CD out and tried to open up the case single-handedly which caused the CD to pop out of its enclosure and land under Allison's seat. "Ugh." With one hand on the wheel, she reached under her seat and patted around blindly for the disc. A few moments later, she emerged victorious with the disc in hand. "Got it!" She slid the disc in to the slot and Coldplay began coming out of the speakers. Scott looked on and smirked subtly at the whole affair. They didn't speak for the rest of the way there.

"I owe you one," Scott slipped out of the car in one swift movement when they arrived.

"Mhm," Allison nodded slightly, a small smile creeping up on her. "Same time tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks so much," Scott rolled his lips into a grin and shut the car door.

* * *

 

"How was it?" Isaac asked as Scott stepped through the front door to find him on the couch watching TV.

"It was uh, fine. We didn't do anything... I mean she just drove me up. That's all," Scott replied hastily.

"Oh... I meant your shift," Isaac shifted upwards a little from his sagging posture.

"Oh," Scott laughed nervously, "I'm sorry. Yeah, it was crazy, a lot of animals came in today. But it went by quick, which is good." Scott moved over to the couch where Isaac was and plopped down with a moan of relief. He hoped Isaac would forget him bringing up Allison unnecessarily if he acted like it was nothing.

"I see," Isaac answered monotonously.

"How was your day?"

"Just came home and worked on the project. I'm pretty tired, actually... I think I'm gonna go to bed."

"Isaac, it's 9:30..."

"Yeah, I'm just... tired, I don't know," Isaac pushed himself up and made for the stairs. "'Night, Scott." He knew it was trivial, but he couldn't help feeling jealous at the fact that Scott and Allison literally only saw fifteen minutes of each other and now she was on his mind again.

Scott slouched into the couch cushions and watched Isaac disappear around the corner and up the stairs. He brought his palm up to his forehead and began smacking it lightly, mouthing the words _stupid, stupid, stupid_ over and over again to himself. But he couldn't deny Allison had been running through his mind all during his work shift. Not necessarily because he was interested in her again, but more so because of how she acted. Why was she so nervous around him? He figured Allison would have been over him by now.

He grabbed the TV remote and flicked the TV off, pulled his backpack over, and got out his homework.

* * *

 

"Hey," Scott greeted Allison again when he climbed into her car the next day.

"Hey," Allison replied, much in the same tone as yesterday, though much calmer. "Looking for someone?" She had noticed him looking around before he got into the car.

"Uh... no, just Isaac, I haven't seen him."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Chem."

"Scott that was two periods ago. I'm sure he's fine..." Allison snickered.

"Yeah... I know," Scott reassured her as he continued cocking his head around looking for Isaac.

"You'd think you guys were going out or something," Allison joked.

Scott all but froze, and it was anything but subtle.

"Oh..." she trailed.

Scott swallowed hard and remained quiet. It was better, he thought, for Allison to fit the pieces of the puzzle together herself. The same Coldplay CD from the day before filled the awkward silence. The both of them kept their eyes straight ahead.

"Um... so... how's that... going?" Allison stammered.

"Good... it's uh... it's good."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Scott nodded, looking out the window. He turned after a while and caught Allison sneaking a glance at him. She averted his eyes quickly. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Allison..." Scott began, unsure if he wanted to continue. They were only five minutes away and this would be the last time in a long time he would be alone with Allison. No more awkward after this. But he couldn't stop himself and he continued, "...are you... okay? With that? Isaac and I?"

"W-why wouldn't I be? What?"

"I don't know," Scott murmured.

"I'm totally... one hundred percent okay with it, Scott. Really." She turned to Scott again and she found herself in a sort-of daze. She didn't feel okay with it. Scott wasn't hers anymore, but he wasn't supposed to be anyone else's. She knew she didn't have a right to feel that way, but she couldn't deny the knots she felt in her stomach.

Scott caught her looking at him again but she didn't turn away this time, and he didn't break the gaze. Instead, he halted in her sights, unsure of what to do or what was happening. But then their staring contest was cut short.

Neither of them saw it coming until it was too late.

"All-ALLISON!" Scott shouted when he looked up to find themselves missing a curve in the road and rolling straight into the woods. Allison whipped her head back to the front of the car and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to fishtail over the dirt surface.

"SCOTT!" she shrieked helplessly. She kept both her hands wrapped around the steering wheel, her knuckles white from her grip. Scott reached over and grabbed onto her forearm, as if to keep her in place. He pressed his body against his side of the car when he realized they were sliding sideways, driver's side first, straight for a tree.

"ALLISON!" he screamed again.

Suddenly, with a loud smash, the car came to a halt.

And suddenly, silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The song _Anchors_ is an original song by the super-talented Maeve Kelly ([daneilsharman](http://daneilsharman.tumblr.com/)). She just released a whole EP of Teen Wolf-inspired music, and it's kind of awesome. Check it out [here](http://maevekelly.bandcamp.com/)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I was having trouble figuring out an ending and decided that there'll be one more chapter after this one to wrap everything up, so stay tuned!

"Mrs. McCall? Mrs. McCall!" Isaac scrambled into the ER, his face wrought with distress.

Scott's mother circled around the front desk and grabbed Isaac by his arms. "Isaac," her voice trembled. Even her eyes were shaky in their little movements, back and forth between Isaac's own.

"Ar-are they okay? Where are they? Where's Scott?" Isaac was out of breath and his words just barely slipped out of his mouth, weak and desperate.

"Scott is fine. He's here. It's Allison... she's in critical condition. She's in now with the doctors. Her father's in with her. Scott's in the waiting area just over there," she pointed. "Isaac... it'll be okay. I promise." Isaac's eyes were wide. He nodded and thanked her and, calmer now, made his way down the hall.

When he saw Scott sitting, hunched over in the sea green chair with his face buried in his hands, his heart flooded with an overwhelming feeling of relief, but only for a second. He whispered Scott's name and Scott picked up his head and saw Isaac standing over him. His face was wet, eyes red with sorrow. Isaac was powerless against the inevitable wave of emotion that flushed over him in that moment. If Scott's smile made him happier than he'd ever been in his life, Scott crying made Isaac want to die.

Isaac took one step when suddenly Scott shot up and, nearly tackling him in the process, wrapped his arms around Isaac. Isaac heard Scott muffle an _I'm sorry_ into his sweater, but he didn't know for what. He didn't bother asking. He tilted his head up and rest his chin on Scott's head, running his fingers through his hair, with his other hand sliding up and down Scott's spine. They stood there for a long time, swaying slightly, shifting their weight between each other. Neither of them wanted to let go. Isaac hadn't yet known the severity of it, but Scott knew just how close he came to an untimely death, and he held onto Isaac tighter. The few bruises and scratches he suffered had healed quickly.

When they finally let each other go, they sat next to each other. Isaac kept his hand on Scott's back, rubbing in circles. "How is she?" he croaked out.

Scott took a while to respond, wiping at the tears that had begun to swell in the corners of his eyes. He kept his eyes fixated on the ground. "I... I saw her... s- _slam_ into th- into the tree. She... she..." Scott's bottom lip began to quiver. He took a deep breath and gathered himself. "There was so... so much blood. She was unconscious when they brought her in... I... I don't know how she is, Isaac. I don't know..." 

Isaac swallowed hard. He never really hated Allison, and other than her almost killing him, he never really had a reason to. And now was no time to let petty emotions like jealously get the best of him. This was a friend's life on the line, quite literally. He was afraid.

In his roller coaster of emotions in the past few minutes, the newest curve ball was a sudden pang of guilt, as if somehow he could have stopped it. He didn't know how, but he couldn't shake the feeling. Like he should have been there. His hand found Scott's shoulder and pulled him closer. "I'm here."

Scott looked up to see Isaac's rusted blue eyes, now coated with a layer of glass, and full of caring and reassurance. A rush of warmth coursed through Scott's body and into his bones. "I'm here," Isaac repeated, quieter. Scott let his head rest on Scott's shoulder and closed his eyes.

* * *

They had moved to the couch to sleep through the night. The table in front of them was littered with empty takeout boxes, the remnants of Mexican food Mrs. McCall had delivered for the boys earlier when they insisted on staying the night. Chris Argent took the couch on the other side to himself and snored slightly.

Isaac, still in an upright position, was slouched into the corner of the couch with one foot set on the table. His head was resting on the top of the back of the couch and his mouth was open slightly, just barely letting out a snore. Scott had as much of his body as he could laid out on the rest of the couch (his feet still dangled off the edge despite his legs being bent), and his head was laying in Isaac's lap, facing outwards. Isaac's arm was draped over Scott's torso and Scott held onto it with both hands.

It was still early; the dawn had only just begun and half of the sky was still dark. The other half began seeing a faint gradient of light peeking out above the horizon.

Scott shifted a bit, cupped his hands around Isaac's, and tucked it under his chin like a blanket. He moaned softly.

"No..."

"Hm?" Isaac replied, having been softly nudged awake by Scott's movements, but still with his eyes closed.

"Alli-Allison..."

"Scott?" Isaac lifted his eyelids slowly, expecting the flood of fluorescent light.

"No, no, no," Scott gritted his teeth. "No, no, watch out," he continued.

Isaac had never been on this end of a nightmare. He ran his fingers through Scott's hair and tried to wake him up. "Scott... wake up, Scott."

"W-watch... watch out... Allison," he squirmed and struggled. Isaac's other hand rubbed at Scott's shoulder.

"Scott, come on, wake up."

"Al-ALLISON!" was the last thing he shouted before he shot up as if he had been jolted awake by a defibrillator. He was hyperventilating and he jerked his head around in panic and confusion before slowly realizing where he was. Isaac had a hold on him from behind, his hands at Scott's sides. Chris adjusted himself a bit but remained asleep amidst the commotion.

"Scott, you're okay," he tried to comfort him. Scott's breathing was normalizing when he turned and looked back at Isaac with a face that was about to burst into tears. "Hey... Scott, c'mon," Isaac pulled Scott back and twisted his body so that Scott could bury his face in Isaac's chest and let loose.

This was the first time Isaac had ever seen Scott cry. _Really_ cry. And it's not that he enjoyed it, that he liked seeing Scott sad or anything, but there was something about him being so vulnerable in that moment that Isaac found appealing. Like that he could step further into Scott's heart now that this barrier had been removed.

He made broad strokes against Scott's back, up and down the curvature of his spine and wrapping around his waist occasionally. He felt Scott's body slump in sync with his small, muted cries, and he fought not to break down with him.

Scott shouldn't know sadness like this. With his face crafted from the finest rays of sunshine and a smile that could kill, he shouldn't know sadness like this, Isaac thought.

Scott lifted his head from Isaac's shirt and found a wet shadow where his eyes were. He had calmed down significantly, and upon seeing the mask of tears he left behind, he apologized.

"What?"

"What?" Scott echoed, confused.

"What do you keep apologizing for?" Isaac confronted.

Scott scrunched his face in questioning, opening his mouth to say something but unsure of what to say.

"Scott, I mean before. When I first came. You said you were sorry..."

Scott sniffled and took a moment before saying, "Oh..." he trailed.

Isaac gestured a _come on, out with it_.

Scott sighed heavily and wiped a few stray tears from his bottom eyelid. "It's just..." his eyes circled around the room quickly, "before... before we, well, crashed... like... the reason that we crashed." Scott's eyes remained shifty. He wasn't sure how Isaac would react. Isaac, now suspicious, focused more intensely. Scott could feel the heat of his eyes on him. "Well, it was because... well, I told her. About... us. She kept saying she was okay with it... but I don't... I don't know. She was looking at me... and that's when we missed the curve."

Isaac's expression hadn't changed to angry or upset as Scott was expecting. Instead, Isaac was relieved it wasn't something more serious, with the way Scott was building it up. So Allison still had feelings for Scott. Big deal, right? As long as they went unrequited, no problem. Scott was his.

"Stop apologizing," was all Isaac had to say in response.

* * *

"She's still comatose. She suffered very severe head trauma. The rest of her body, save for some cuts and bruises, is alright, thankfully. But we don't know how long it will be until she wakes up. We'll keep you guys posted as soon as anything comes up. You're welcome to stay, but my advice? Go home and get some rest on a real bed."

"Thank you, Doctor," Chris spoke low, his voice raspy. He turned to the boys as the doctor walked away. "Listen... I'm going to take up the doctor on that offer of a real bed at home." His eyes were sagging and bloodshot. "You two, you let me know as soon as anything comes up. If you plan on staying." They nodded. He turned halfway then stopped and turned back. "Boys... thank you. For being here. It means a lot." He patted the both of their shoulders before turning and slowly walking down towards the exit.

Even his steps looked somber. Having just lost his wife only a few months ago must still have been taking a toll on him. The prospect of losing Allison too must have been equivalent to having a butcher knife sitting right against the outer layer of his heart, prodding and poking and ready to pierce through at any time.

The boys caved into the couch again, right up against each other, keeping the other company in silence. Isaac couldn't help but keep thinking back to earlier in the morning, when Scott revealed Allison's undying interest in him was what caused the two to crash. He was her first love, as far as Isaac knew, and a first love is a connection that never really goes away.

And then he remembered that she was Scott's first love as well.

And how a first love is a connection that never really goes away.

But instead of wondering whether or not Scott would be faithful to him, for some reason, he started thinking of what would happen if Allison didn't make it. Allison Argent, Scott McCall's first love, dead. What would happen to Scott? Isaac didn't have an ex of his own to compare to. He couldn't imagine them dying to emulate the pain Scott would go through. But he imagined it wouldn't be pretty. A part of him would surely die, a part of his heart that had already been claimed by Allison before him. But what if it was worse? What if Scott, so broken from his loss, shut down even to Isaac? What if Isaac couldn't do anything to comfort him or to patch him up?

What if Scott just became hollow?

Isaac couldn't fight his deep-seated insecurities getting a hold of him.

_Useless._

His father never held back. He let Isaac know just how much he didn't matter with every chance he had. Sometimes his words hit Isaac much like his fists. They shrunk Isaac down with every blow until his worth was about the size of a spec of dust, with just about the same level of importance: none.

_Worthless._

With Scott, Isaac felt like he mattered. But suddenly, in the strange turn of events in the past few hours, Isaac felt like maybe, just maybe, if Allison didn't make it, that he wouldn't be enough to fill the void left behind.

_Inadequate._

His father's words echoed in his head. He was shrinking. Isaac much preferred the freezer treatment to being yelled at. It was quiet in there. He didn't have to listen to how sad his existence was. But now it was in his head.

He wouldn't be enough for Scott. He couldn't fill that void for Scott. He was just _not good enough for Scott_ , he told himself.

If only for his own selfish reasons, and the whole friend thing a close second, Allison Argent was not allowed to die, and Isaac was going to make sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

"You want me to what, Isaac?" Derek's voice was rough.

"Derek, I know it sounds crazy. It... it kind of is. It is. But you have to consider it. We're running out of options."

"Does her father know about _this_ 'option?'" Isaac could almost hear Derek putting up air quotes through the phone.

"Yeah uh... no... he doesn't," he thought for a moment before blurting, "Wait, since when did you need permission from a parent?" Isaac jabbed.

"Since that parent and his entire bloodline has been trying to eliminate us," Derek countered.

Isaac was half-expecting that one.

"Does Scott know?"

"No."

"So you want me to just sneak into her room—"

"It wouldn't be sneaking..." Isaac cut in.

"—and give her the bite. Without consulting anyone. Do you realize what the implications of that would be? How everything would change?"

"Her dying would also change everything, Derek. You have the chance to save a life, for once," Isaac asserted.

"Isaac..." he began.

"Derek, please trust me. Please consider." Isaac caught site of Scott sleeping out of the corner of his eye. "Please."

* * *

It's been two days now. Chris stopped by on his way to work. The boys were still there; they'd stopped home to shower and change but were more or less living in the hospital.

"Doctor said she's stable. Still hasn't woken up... but she's stable." Scott sat hunched over with his elbows pressed into the tops of his knees, hands clenched together. Isaac was beside him in a decidedly opposite position, slouched and sunken into his seat.

Chris had little to say in response. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a long, slow, exhale. He looked drained and pale, as though he hadn't slept since the accident. Which was probably the case. Slowly, he sank into a seat opposite the boys and pressed his palms to his eyes, slowly letting his hands consume his entire face. He stayed like that for a long, long time.

Isaac looked over to Scott and noticed him visibly sadder, as though he was absorbing Chris' pain from across the room. He reached his hand over and placed it over his back, rubbing gently in circles. Scott accepted the gesture with a deep breath.

* * *

Isaac's phone vibrated in his pocket. He glanced at the wall clock. It was 2:30. In the morning. Who the hell was calling him at this hour? He lifted Scott's head off of his shoulder and got up to take his phone out of his pocket.

"Derek?"

"Is Scott asleep?"

"Yeah. What are you..." Isaac trailed.

"I'm here," Derek's voice didn't come out of the phone speaker. He was right behind Isaac, who jumped slightly when he realized. "Where is she?"

Isaac scanned his face for a moment, as if not sure if he was serious, or if this was all a dream. When the words finally registered in his head, he uttered a "thank you," and gestured Derek to follow him to Allison's room.

"You sure about this?" Isaac figured if Derek had no doubts, he could rest easier. To Isaac's misfortune, Derek shook his head. Isaac felt a lump in his throat.

Derek paced slowly towards the edge of Allison's bed. Her heart rate monitor's beeping kept the room from complete silence. He lifted her wrist and turned it, looking for a good spot to sink his fangs.

"Derek..." Isaac was hesitant. Derek exhaled heavily.

"Isaac. This is what you want, isn't it?" Derek was growing impatient. Isaac breathed before nodding quickly in response.

Derek turned back to Allison and his eyes began to fill with red as the alpha wolf inside him rose to the occasion. He felt his fangs pressing through his gums and his mouth broke open slightly. Time seemed to slow down as the space between Allison's skin and Derek's mouth closed. It slowed down just enough for...

"DEREK! What the hell are you doing?!" Scott charged into the room and grabbed Derek's arm and pulled him away. Isaac was mortified. "Are you insane?! We don't even know if she's not okay! She could wake up any second! You can't just turn everyone like it's nothing, dammit!" Scott's veins were pumping with lava, pressing up against the skin in his neck and in his forehead.

Derek had no response but a rigid, implacable expression. He glanced at Isaac before he tore his arm out of Scott's grip and marched out of the room without saying a word. Scott turned to Isaac.

"Isaac, what the hell?! You were just gonna let him do that?"

Isaac stood frozen with fear. He opened his mouth slightly but no sound came out.

"Isaac! Are you crazy?! Do you realize what could have happened?" he approached Isaac slowly.

He hadn't felt afraid like he did now in a long time. As if by instinct, he took a step back and found a wall, which he pressed himself against. He stuttered out a weak "I'm sorry... Scott. I...It was me..."

"What?" Scott stopped in his tracks and narrowed his eyes.

"It was..." he cleared his throat and brought his hand up to the back of his neck. His gaze was fixated on the ground. "It was my idea. I called Derek," his voice was breathy.

Scott stood and cycled through a few expressions, as if he didn't know which one was appropriate. He settled on betrayal. "You... what? Why Isaac?" he begged for a valid answer, one that would make forgiving Isaac easier. "Do you realize what you could have started? Allison is an _Argent_... do you have any idea what that means?"

"Scott, I..."

"Her entire bloodline has an established code. They commit _suicide_ if they're bitten. You wouldn't have been saving her, just giving her a death sentence!" Scott ran both of his hands through his head as he circled around himself, trying to keep himself from yelling at a visibly distraught Isaac. "We don't even know how bad her situation is yet."

"Scott.. I was just.. afraid," Isaac's palms were sweaty and he rubbed them together. A kind of nervous tick. "I didn't want to lose her... or yo—" he cut himself off when he realized what he'd let slip.

"Nobody w— wait, what?"

Isaac remained silent, his face blank. Maybe if he stood still enough for long enough, he'd turn into a statue and Scott would leave him alone.

"Isaac. What did you just say?"

Maybe not. "Scott, look, I just wanted everything to be okay, alright? I'm stupid. I didn't think everything through. I'm sorry," he began to ramble but Scott hung on that one half of a word.

"Or you? Is that what you meant? You didn't want to lose me? How exactly were you going to lose me?"

Isaac felt the sweat beads forming on his forehead.

"You thought that if Allison died, you were gonna lose me?" Scott broke into a sarcastic chuckle but it was gone just as quickly as it came. "Are you _kidding_ me, Isaac? You were going to have Derek give her the bite... for _me_? What even gave you the idea that you would lose me?" Scott shook his head and kept pacing around aimlessly in the room.

"I... I'm sorry... I just... Allison was your first... y-you know, and I though—"

"Isaac..." Scott stopped and looked at him, his eyes softer now, but filled with disappointment this time. "Isaac, don't even. You know I love you. You _know_ that. I..." he couldn't finish his sentence for a while.

"What?" Isaac's voice cracked a bit.

"I can't believe this Isaac. I can't. I need to... just... I need to go..." Scott backed out of the room slowly before disappearing down the hall. Isaac stood frozen in place, much like Allison, who remained totally unaware of what just happened.

Her heart rate monitor's beeping kept the room from complete silence.

* * *

Camden sat on the couch, throwing back a can of soda and flipping through the endless channels on TV.

"Camden? Can you help me with my math homework?" Isaac's little voice came from the foot of the staircase behind the couch.

"What makes you think I know any math?" Camden laughed and patted the seat next to him on the couch. Isaac plopped down beside him with a packet of papers, a textbook, and a pencil in hand. "I'll try... but no guarantees."

Camden helped him through most of the problems, to his own surprise. Isaac smiled up at him when they were finished. For a moment, he wondered how Camden knew so much. He knew how to swim, how to shoot a gun, how to get Isaac out of trouble. How to do Isaac's impossible math homework. He never had anyone helping _him_. Isaac didn't know anything. Granted, he was only ten. He was just happy to have his big brother around.

"You know, I won't always be around to help you." Isaac looked up with confusion, as though Camden had read his mind. "Someday you'll learn that you can't really depend on anyone, either. You gotta be able to be your own person. Fight for yourself and stuff. You can't trust people." Isaac couldn't completely wrap his head around his brother's seemingly profound prophecy, but he paid attention anyways. "Ah, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. You're only ten." He chuckled to himself. "Hey, I picked something up for you today," he bent over the arm of the couch and dug through his backpack. He emerged with a comic book that looked a little worn around the edges. "It's Captain America. I thought you'd like it, he's one of my favorites."

"Whoa, awesome! Thank you Camden!" Isaac reached his arms around Camden's body and squeezed tightly.

"No problem, buddy," he ruffled Isaac's hair. "Maybe one day you can grow up to be like him."

* * *

Isaac felt like anything but a superhero.

Ever since Scott found out Isaac had feelings for him, he had grown attached. He clung to Scott like a lifeline. Like a flame needs oxygen or like a fish needs water. How it had come to this, he couldn't explain. He was so consumed by his love for Scott, the essence of Scott, Scott's smile, Scott's voice, _Scott_. He had let Scott become the only thing he lived for. And not only had his life been dependent upon the very existence of one Scott McCall, he had let it change his character completely. Isaac was not selfish, he didn't think so. But his actions told a very different story.

Camden's words haunted him.

Isaac and Scott hadn't talked for days. They avoided each other in the house. Isaac only knew Scott came home when he heard his bedroom door click shut from his own room.

It hurt.

He wondered, sometimes, how or why Scott even liked him. He laid in bed some nights, staring into the dark, thinking back to various points in he and Scott's relationship, all the times he made a total ass out of himself, and he cringed. How could Scott love that? Maybe it was better this way. Scott didn't need him, not like this. He didn't need an obsessive, jealous, impulsive boy to hang over his shoulder and watch his every move. To nearly change a friend's life for his own selfish desires. He cursed himself and slept angry and restless.

* * *

It's Scott that breaks their mutual silent treatment, to Isaac's relief.

"Allison's gonna be okay. I just came back from the hospital... she's awake and conscious. She has a mild case of amnesia but it'll fade soon. She'll be having some headaches for a while, though. She had a concussion. But it's nothing too serious they don't think," he explained as he passed into the family room. Isaac was on the couch reading an old Captain America comic book. He looked up at Scott, surprised that he had actually spoken to him.

"Oh," he began, startled a bit, but pleasantly surprised. "Wow, that's really good news."

"Yeah," Scott sat down beside him. "We can go visit her later tonight if you want. After dinner?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." He wasn't sure how much he could talk to Scott, so he kept his responses short. Though he was genuinely thankful about Allison, for her well-being and not his selfish reasons. He didn't bother to stress himself with what-if questions, like what if Scott hadn't walked into the room at that moment? What if Derek had bitten Allison? He shook his head of the thoughts, but not before he let out a small "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Scott didn't hear him.

"I'm... um, sorry."

They sat quiet for a while, the sounds from the TV faint in the background.

"I understand," Scott finally replied. "I... still think it was dumb of you... but I understand."

"Scott..."

"Just listen." Scott turned to him with his soft brown eyes and Isaac could feel his insides melting. Scott hadn't looked at him like that in a while, and he missed it. "It's actually... kind of flattering that you care so much about me," he grinned and his eyes arched and Isaac, for a second, thought about how much he looked like a cartoon. "I just... I don't want you... doing anything stupid. For me. You know? I..." he put his hand on Isaac's leg, "I love you, Isaac. You know that. You can trust me not to let you down." His hand went for Isaac's and the comic book hung from Isaac's other hand. "I promise."

Isaac, in the past few minutes, felt like he had been drowned and then immediately saved by Scott's warm, firm hands. He set down the comic book at his side and looked deeper than Scott's eyes, looked straight into his heart. Without saying anything, he threw himself into Scott's arms and held him close. He heard the sound of their hearts beating in near unison, the sound of their breathing, the sound of Isaac's hands rubbing against Scott's shirt, gripping at the fabric, finally holding Scott again after so long. Dumb, stupid, too-kind-and-forgiving-for-his-own-good Scott. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he repeated once, twice, a million times.

Scott pulled away a bit and pressed his forehead against Isaac's. "Stop apologizing." Isaac, though his vision was blurred because they were so close, saw Scott's toothy grin spread across his face and he felt his forehead wrinkling under his own. And when Isaac thought Scott couldn't get any more adorable, any more puppy-like than he already was, he said, "You're _my_ superhero." They both broke into a laugh and they could damn near feel themselves being lifted through the ceiling and into the clouds when they pressed their lips together into a kiss.

Camden didn't know about love. He loved his brother, his mother, and even his father, but he hadn't loved someone that wasn't family. He never trusted anyone enough.

That was the difference between him and Isaac.

He trusted Scott to fill up, not replace, because nothing could replace his family, he trusted Scott to fill up his hollow heart. Hollowed from when his mother passed away. Hollowed from when his brother died at war. Hollowed from when his father left him emotionally scarred. He trusted Scott to fill up that emptiness inside him, because when he so much as looked at Scott, he felt his heart swell up like it hadn't ever done so before. It swelled up against his ribs, stretching at the loosely stitched seams that were sewed by Scott himself. He trusted Scott.

Scott slipped his fingers between Isaac's and held them there.

He learned learned that love, true love, meant trust. It meant trusting that Scott loved him. It meant trusting that Scott would not to run away to Allison. It meant trusting Scott to always be there, no matter what happened. He trusted Scott.

Scott nuzzled himself into Isaac's neck and breathed, warm and electric, dotting him with kisses that made him giggle and retreat. Isaac liked the way Scott's resulting smile felt against his skin. He liked even more the way the words "I love you" made his body heat up from the inside out.

He trusted Scott.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who've been reading this since I wrote the first chapter! I hope you guys are satisfied with the ending!
> 
> Now go follow me on [Tumblr](http://captainahmedica.tumblr.com).


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